I'm originally from "the far south" and from a large family. My parents (Dad of Scottish, and Mum of Irish and English descent) had both grown up in small rural communities in the King Country and in Eastern Southland. They strongly valued neighbours and communities, and modelled ways of actively caring about and contributing to any place we all lived as a family, including Invercargill, Dunedin, and Wellington.

My passion for being involved in community led development started with youth politics and led to roles in the non government sector at a national level at the beginning of my working life. Since then, community led development has been a constant thread through my paid work in development and management roles in local and central government and the community sector, through adult teaching and consultancy roles, and through unpaid work and advisory roles at both local and national levels.

Phone: 07 348 7822
Mobile: 027 242 4409
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I've lived and worked in Wellington, Banks Peninsula, Christchurch, and for the last two plus decades, in Rotorua. My work over recent years (from my Rotorua base) has included a national non-government role focussing on tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector issues; and a regional role for Department of Internal Affairs, fostering constructive relationships between central and local government managers, and their effective work together with local communities.

My current work roles are focussed on communities in the Bay of Plenty. It is great to be able to work creatively with local people, to support their visions, determination, and actions to improve the places they live in and care about, and to reflect on and share the learning as we go. Inspiring Communities helps accelerate what is possible in local communities, by actively supporting the exchange of information, of learning, of tools and resources. The network can also add value by working with local communities to identify and "weave in" useful input, knowledge and support from other people and diverse networks, both from within New Zealand, and beyond.